InflaRx announced on Thursday that it will reduce its workforce by about 30% as part of a strategy to control spending and focus resources on its lead immunology candidate, izicopan. The company also stated it will cut funding for its investigational antibody Gohibic.
Gohibic was previously authorized for emergency use by the FDA for treating COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. In March of the previous year, InflaRx ended a late-stage study of Gohibic in pyoderma gangrenosum, a rare skin disease, after disappointing results. At that time, the company said it was “considering additional cost savings and redirection of resources”—a forewarning of Thursday’s strategic initiative.
The restructuring is expected to result in approximately $7 million in one-time costs, mostly from non-cash charges related to writing off Gohibic inventory.
Following these changes, InflaRx projects its financial runway will extend into mid-2027. The company plans to use this period to advance izicopan, which is being developed as an inhibitor targeting the C5a pathway. Izicopan is currently in mid-stage development for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), with Phase I trials ongoing for other immune skin conditions.
InflaRx is currently engaged in discussions with the FDA regarding its Phase IIb trial design for izicopan. The aim is to establish endpoints that can “meaningfully differentiate izicopan from existing therapies” available for HS and address “variability inherent in some HS trial outcomes,” according to the company's statement.
“InflaRx is moving as quickly as is feasible in this effort,” the company said. No specific timeline has been given for when regulatory discussions are expected to conclude. InflaRx plans to present data from Phase IIa studies of izicopan in HS and CSU at medical conferences later this year.
Izicopan is administered orally and acts as a small-molecule blocker of a subtype of the C5a receptor. According to InflaRx, this mechanism has “shown anti-inflammatory therapeutic effects” in pre-clinical models. The company stated it “sees significant potential for izicopan to address unmet needs in multiple [immunology and inflammatory] indications.”
